SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Given Trump's expressed affinity for America's nuclear arsenal, it is not entirely surprising that his administration's security strategy would place it at the center of attention. (Photo: Devin/Flickr/cc)
Trump National Security Strategy Could 'Create More Pathways to Nuclear War,' Critics Warn
White House's newly unveiled National Security Strategy lays bare the president's "obsession with nuclear weapons," an anti-nuke group warned
Dec 19, 2017
Viewed by critics as further evidence that President Donald Trump is "obsessed with nuclear weapons and creating the conditions for nuclear war," the White House's newly unveiled National Security Strategy (NSS) lionizes America's nukes as the "foundation" of its security policy and suggests they could be deployed even in the case of non-nuclear threats.
"Nuclear weapons have served a vital purpose in America's National Security Strategy for the past 70 years," states Trump's NSS document (pdf), made public on Monday. "While nuclear deterrence strategies cannot prevent all conflict, they are essential to prevent nuclear attack, non-nuclear strategic attacks, and large-scale conventional aggression."
The policy statement goes on to lament the decline of "investments in our nuclear enterprise" and the "reduced...role of nuclear weapons" following the end of the Cold War and argued that "significant investment is needed to maintain a U.S. nuclear arsenal and infrastructure that is able to meet national security threats over the coming decades."
Commenting on the Trump NSS in an interview with the Guardian the director of the nuclear information project at the Federation of American Scientists, Hans Kristensen, noted that Trump's "broadening of the nuclear weapons mission against non-nuclear attacks" represents a departure from the stated policies of previous administrations and concluded that it raises a monumental question: "are we creating more pathways to potential nuclear war?"
Trump's NSS was released as tensions between the U.S. and North Korea continue to soar. As Common Dreams reported earlier this month, the U.S. flew a B-1B supersonic bomber over the Korean Peninsula as part of war exercises that North Korea denounced as a simulation of "all-out war."
Given Trump's expressed affinity for America's nuclear arsenal, it is not entirely surprising that his administration's security strategy would place it at the center of attention.
NBC reported in October that Trump surprised even military leaders during a meeting over the summer by calling for "what amounted to a nearly tenfold increase in the U.S. nuclear arsenal." Trump later denied requesting such a build-up.
In the face of Trump's erratic behavior and his propensity for floating threats of "fire and fury" against official adversaries, members of Congress last month held the first hearing in decades on the president's authority to launch nuclear weapons.
"There may be plans in place, right now, at the White House, to launch a preemptive war with North Korea using nuclear weapons--without consulting Congress," warned Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). "No one human being should ever have the power."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Viewed by critics as further evidence that President Donald Trump is "obsessed with nuclear weapons and creating the conditions for nuclear war," the White House's newly unveiled National Security Strategy (NSS) lionizes America's nukes as the "foundation" of its security policy and suggests they could be deployed even in the case of non-nuclear threats.
"Nuclear weapons have served a vital purpose in America's National Security Strategy for the past 70 years," states Trump's NSS document (pdf), made public on Monday. "While nuclear deterrence strategies cannot prevent all conflict, they are essential to prevent nuclear attack, non-nuclear strategic attacks, and large-scale conventional aggression."
The policy statement goes on to lament the decline of "investments in our nuclear enterprise" and the "reduced...role of nuclear weapons" following the end of the Cold War and argued that "significant investment is needed to maintain a U.S. nuclear arsenal and infrastructure that is able to meet national security threats over the coming decades."
Commenting on the Trump NSS in an interview with the Guardian the director of the nuclear information project at the Federation of American Scientists, Hans Kristensen, noted that Trump's "broadening of the nuclear weapons mission against non-nuclear attacks" represents a departure from the stated policies of previous administrations and concluded that it raises a monumental question: "are we creating more pathways to potential nuclear war?"
Trump's NSS was released as tensions between the U.S. and North Korea continue to soar. As Common Dreams reported earlier this month, the U.S. flew a B-1B supersonic bomber over the Korean Peninsula as part of war exercises that North Korea denounced as a simulation of "all-out war."
Given Trump's expressed affinity for America's nuclear arsenal, it is not entirely surprising that his administration's security strategy would place it at the center of attention.
NBC reported in October that Trump surprised even military leaders during a meeting over the summer by calling for "what amounted to a nearly tenfold increase in the U.S. nuclear arsenal." Trump later denied requesting such a build-up.
In the face of Trump's erratic behavior and his propensity for floating threats of "fire and fury" against official adversaries, members of Congress last month held the first hearing in decades on the president's authority to launch nuclear weapons.
"There may be plans in place, right now, at the White House, to launch a preemptive war with North Korea using nuclear weapons--without consulting Congress," warned Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). "No one human being should ever have the power."
Viewed by critics as further evidence that President Donald Trump is "obsessed with nuclear weapons and creating the conditions for nuclear war," the White House's newly unveiled National Security Strategy (NSS) lionizes America's nukes as the "foundation" of its security policy and suggests they could be deployed even in the case of non-nuclear threats.
"Nuclear weapons have served a vital purpose in America's National Security Strategy for the past 70 years," states Trump's NSS document (pdf), made public on Monday. "While nuclear deterrence strategies cannot prevent all conflict, they are essential to prevent nuclear attack, non-nuclear strategic attacks, and large-scale conventional aggression."
The policy statement goes on to lament the decline of "investments in our nuclear enterprise" and the "reduced...role of nuclear weapons" following the end of the Cold War and argued that "significant investment is needed to maintain a U.S. nuclear arsenal and infrastructure that is able to meet national security threats over the coming decades."
Commenting on the Trump NSS in an interview with the Guardian the director of the nuclear information project at the Federation of American Scientists, Hans Kristensen, noted that Trump's "broadening of the nuclear weapons mission against non-nuclear attacks" represents a departure from the stated policies of previous administrations and concluded that it raises a monumental question: "are we creating more pathways to potential nuclear war?"
Trump's NSS was released as tensions between the U.S. and North Korea continue to soar. As Common Dreams reported earlier this month, the U.S. flew a B-1B supersonic bomber over the Korean Peninsula as part of war exercises that North Korea denounced as a simulation of "all-out war."
Given Trump's expressed affinity for America's nuclear arsenal, it is not entirely surprising that his administration's security strategy would place it at the center of attention.
NBC reported in October that Trump surprised even military leaders during a meeting over the summer by calling for "what amounted to a nearly tenfold increase in the U.S. nuclear arsenal." Trump later denied requesting such a build-up.
In the face of Trump's erratic behavior and his propensity for floating threats of "fire and fury" against official adversaries, members of Congress last month held the first hearing in decades on the president's authority to launch nuclear weapons.
"There may be plans in place, right now, at the White House, to launch a preemptive war with North Korea using nuclear weapons--without consulting Congress," warned Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). "No one human being should ever have the power."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.